Industrial processes in such diverse fields as pulp and paper, oil and gas, heat and power generation, metals and mining, and the chemical industry generally comprise a plurality of process components, i.e. process equipment, for carrying out various process steps. In an industrial process, sensors are typically arranged to measure industrial process component related data, such as process variable values, which are associated with the process components. The measured process variable values are used for controlling the process variables by means of controllers in accordance with setpoint values.
Large scale industrial processes comprise a great plurality of sensors and control loops and can for example be monitored and controlled by means of a distributed control system (DCS) or a supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) system, which allows monitoring and control of the entire industrial process. These systems are arranged to receive measurement data, e.g. process variable data, from the plurality of sensors for monitoring purposes. The measurement data received by the DCS or SCADA system is presented to process operators supervising the industrial process. Process operators may thereby monitor the entire industrial process, usually through a plurality of large screens which together display information of the entire industrial process and allow cooperation between the process operators, facilitating decision making.
Process engineers or other plant/industrial process monitoring personnel occasionally need to perform maintenance work or other operations in a process component environment, e.g. a plant. To facilitate their work, they may utilise portable radio devices, i.e. portable radio communication enabled devices, which provides a communication link to the control system(s) and/or SCADA system such that information concerning process components of the industrial process may be obtained in essentially any location.
A problem with existing portable radio devices used in a industrial process monitoring and/or control context is that in some cases they may not be able to provide the same opportunities to monitor and/or control process components as would otherwise be possible e.g. via stationary workstations in a control room. Moreover, portable radio communication enabled devices can limit the cooperation between maintenance personnel rendering decision-making more difficult.